ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final: India and New Zealand square off for glory in Dubai

India and New Zealand face off in ICC Champions Trophy final with strong batting, bowling, and potential retirement implications.

The last time India and New Zealand met in a final of an ICC white-ball tournament the world of cricket was far different. That competition was called ICC Knockouts, One-Day Internationals ruled the sport’s landscape, cricket in the Middle East just meant Sharjah and T20 was still three years away.

A quarter of a century later, the same outfits, now among the best all-round sides in the world, will square off for glory and $2.24 million prize money when they meet in the summit clash of the Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The two sides, with similar depth in their squads, appeared the most sorted among the eight in the lead-up to the event. And it is not wholly surprising they have made it thus far.

On the batting front, both have openers who can give blazing starts, a talismanic player at No. 3 who can anchor an innings while maintaining a high strike-rate and highly skilled batters lower down who can switch gears seamlessly.

In bowling, New Zealand has a slightly better pace attack with its tall quicks who can move the ball around and generate awkward bounce. The spin-bowling department – though not world class – is not short of options either, marshalled as it is by the wily Mitchell Santner.

India, on the other hand, has an eclectic mix of wicket-taking tweakers – two left-arm orthodox spinners, a left-arm wrist-spinner and a right-arm spinner whose mystery is long enduring.

Rohit Sharma’s men have lived up to their billing as the tournament favourites, reaching the final unbeaten. The squad’s success thus far has been the epitome of teamwork with nearly every member who has stepped on to the park having made a significant contribution.